The Cupertino giant said this center will improve the Maps development and create up to 4,000 jobsETtech | Updated: May 19, 2016, 11:02 IST

Apple has announced the opening of a new development center in Hyderabad that will focus on development of Maps for Apple products, including iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Watch.

The Cupertino giant said this center will improve the Maps development and create up to 4,000 jobs. This launch comes on heels of launching an iOS design and development startup accelerator in Bengaluru.

ET had first reported in January that Apple is looking at setting up its first large technology development centre in Hyderabad. Apple claims that it currently supports over 640,000 iOS app developer jobs and other positions related to the iOS ecosystem.

“Apple is focused on making the best products and services in the world and we are thrilled to open this new office in Hyderabad which will focus on Maps development,” said Apple CEO Tim Cook, who is currently on an India visit.

“The talent here in the local area is incredible and we are looking forward to expanding our relationships and introducing more universities and partners to our platforms as we scale our operations.” Cook added.

“Apple is one of the most innovative companies in the world and we are very proud they chose us to partner with for this important project,” said Anup Jindal, RMSI’s CEO. “We are experts in geospatial data and we will be hiring thousands of people from the local area to support this effort.”

This development comes at a time when CEO Cook is betting on India to become a multi-billion dollar market for the company, amid a global slowdown in smartphone sales and also a slump in the growth of its flagship iPhone in key markets such as the US and China.

Apple currently has around 3% volume share of the Indian smartphone market while by value it is around 11%, according to Counterpoint Research.